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HELLENIC LEAGUE: Fairford going in search of perfection

FAIRFORD manager Paul Braithwaite is looking for his side to go 100 per cent until the end of the season in a bid for promotion.

Braitwaite’s side are unbeaten in the league since the start of December and are looking to overtake Shortwood in the promotion places in the Hellenic Division One West.

Shortwood are two points ahead of Fairford, and Braithwaite is looking forward to the meeting of the two clubs in Gloucestershire at the end of March as a pivotal point in the season.

“We have to be picking up three points this weekend. We’re confident then that we can take maximum points till the end of the season.

“It’s something we did last season and we’ve set out as our goal again this season but the only way we’ll do that is by winning games.

“I think the Shortwood game will set the precedent for the season, if we can get maximum points before then that it will give us a massive boost.”

Talk of maximum points may sound as if Braithwaite is getting ahead of himself but the Fairford boss was keen to stress that his team weren’t taking anyone for granted, including this Saturday’s opponent Tuffley.

“I think it will be a hard game, the pitch will be a factor, and who plays the conditions best will win.

“We’ve got a good squad that can adapt to most conditions. They’re an intelligent bunch and we can ask them to play a few different systems.

“We’ll continue to try and play the way we play, through a three in midfield where we can and get it quickly up to our strikers.

“We can’t take anyone for granted. It’s a league where anyone can beat anybody.

“The teams at the bottom are all capable of taking points off the teams at the top.”

Saturday’s game with Tuffley appears to have a realistic chance of going ahead with Cinder Lane surving the wet weather better than some of the clubs in the surrounding area.

The weather has also meant that Braithwaite is able to call on a full squad and he might be looking to add a midfielder and a ‘keeper to his squad before Saturday.